Green Day at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL

Catfish and the Bottlemen were first to take to the stage at the Friendly Confines and wasted no time, or energy, in warming up the eager audience. The British Indie Rockers are making quite a name for themselves, and getting to open for the likes of Green Day will be introducing them to a larger audience. This high energy 30-minute set seemed to fly over as they quickly banged out their powerful five song set.

Teasing the audience prior to taking to the stage, and pumping the energy up to boiling point, Wrigley Field were treated to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and the Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop” which saw fans excitedly singing along to the iconic anthems. Bursting onto the stage with “Know Your Enemy”, Green Day didn’t take their foot off the gas for the full two and a half hour set.

Making it clear early on, Armstrong declared this is a celebration and that the politics needed to be left outside. This was a night for “no racism, no sexism or no homophobia. No Donald J. Trump.” This was a night that was “all about the experience” and it was refreshing to see only a limited number of phones in the air recording the show, that people were listening, and agreed with Billie Joe when he said to enjoy being “in the moment” without recording it.

It certainly looked like the band were in the moment too. Armstrong couldn’t hide the excitement from his face, drinking in the atmosphere and the experience of performing at Wrigley Field. At one point he exclaimed, “Never in our lives did we think we’d be playing Wrigley Field”.

Whilst this is the Revolution Radio Tour, Armstrong was sure to check how many “old school” and “really old school” fans they had in the house as they dug into their back catalog. Performing favorites from their classic Dookie album such as “Basket Case”, “When I Come Around” and “She,” they went back further still with “2000 Light Years Away” from Kerplunk!

The audience were kept on their toes for the entirety of the set with fireworks exploding whilst flames burst from the back of the stage. Armstrong barely managed to stand still throughout the entire show as he energetical ran around the whole stage. Being sure to include the excited audience, various fans were picked from the crowd throughout the show and given the opportunity to either sing or play guitar before running down the walkway stage and launching into a stage dive.

Tré Cool and Mike Dirnt proved to be the strong rhythm section they are known to be, they both looked like they, too, were enjoying every moment of the show. Wrigley Field went crazy when they both came together for the instantly recognizable opening of “Longview.”

The show was rounded out with an acoustic version of “21 Guns” followed by “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)”. The perfect end to show a fun show.

This is a band that show no sign of slowing down. Seemingly performing with the same energy and excitement, this show certainly did not lose anything from being in a larger venue. If anything, they seemed to thrive on it all the more. Armstrong’s maniacal glint in his eye made it seem like he was being fueled by the excitement from the expansive audience.

Their North American tour continues on throughout September. Old and new fans alike – this is one you will regret missing!

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About The Author

Kirstine moved from the UK to Chicago in 2011, and has fallen in love with the city and its music scene. She enjoys combining her two biggest passions – music and photography. If there is a band with a guitar playing, chances are she’ll be there…camera in hand. Kirstine went to her first live concert at 7 years old, and hasn’t looked back since!